Live stream: David Seymour fronts at post-Cabinet media conference
David Seymour is is taking questions from the media following the regular meeting of Cabinet.
The ACT leader, who took over as Deputy PM from Winston Peters this month, is in the hot seat as acting Prime Minister while Christopher Luxon is in Europe.
Cabinet met today after a two-week break, which included "scrutiny week" when MPs get to grill ministers about their departments and ministries.
The meeting came against the backdrop of war in the Middle East, with an RNZAF C-130 en route to the region to help evacuate Kiwis.
Luxon has also been in China where he met President Xi Jinping.
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How Would An Escalation In Conflict In The Middle East Impact New Zealand
Article – RNZ Explainer – America jumped into the war between Israel and Iran over the weekend, as US President Donald Trump announced air strikes on Iran's three principal nuclear sites. The intervention of the US in the conflict has raised concerns worldwide about what's next, including how it might affect New Zealand, from citizens overseas to the price of petrol. Here's a look at what you need to know so far. What's NZ's role in the conflict? Are we going to war? New Zealand has maintained a cautious stance politically as the conflict between Iran and Israel has ramped up in recent weeks. That remains the case today, with the prime minister urging that diplomatic talks resume. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is overseas for a NATO summit, told RNZ's Morning Report that New Zealand wanted to see a peaceful stable and secure Middle East. 'The way to get there is a political solution rather than military action, it's actually through dialogue and diplomacy.' As a small country that is thousands of miles away from the conflict, all New Zealand could do was to advocate for what it thought should happen, he said. 'What we don't need is more military action, we need a political solution to all of these issues in the Middle East.' On Sunday, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said ongoing military action in the Middle East was 'extremely worrying'. Peters previously said before the weekend escalation that the provocative behaviour by both Israel and Iran was to be criticised, and New Zealand would not take sides in a conflict of this nature. 'There are no innocent parties in this conflict,' he said. Will this latest Middle East conflict affect the price of petrol – and everything else? The escalation poses a major threat to New Zealand's economy, RNZ's Susan Edmunds reports. Infometrics chief executive Brad Olsen said if there were attacks on US shipping, or attempts to limit access through the Strait of Hormuz, oil prices could spike. Iran's parliament reportedly voted on Monday morning (NZ time) to close the Strait of Hormuz, which around 20 percent of the world's oil travels through. 'If [Iran] do ratchet up the tension further, if this starts to broaden out into shipping attacks, I think market expectations and worries about oil supply will increase substantially. The question is, just to what degree do you price this and how do markets look at that?' Koura KiwiSaver founder Rupert Carlyon said the biggest risk was to inflation. 'If it does turn into a broader Middle East war and potentially shutting down the Strait of Hormuz, then we are likely to see higher oil prices, which will flow through to everything and shipping delays making it harder and more expensive to import things here in New Zealand.' What about Kiwis who are in Iran or Israel? Nearly 250 New Zealanders are now registered as being in Iran and Israel as a Defence Force Hercules makes its way to the region to help. New figures provided to RNZ and recorded on SafeTravel show 119 New Zealanders in Iran and 117 in Israel. RNZ understands some of those people may have managed to flee somewhere safer, but have not yet updated their status with SafeTravel. The Defence Force announced on Sunday it is sending a plane to the Middle East to assist any New Zealanders stranded in Iran or Israel. The plane is not part of any military combat operations. The C-130J Hercules, along with government personnel, left Auckland on Monday morning. It will take several days for it to arrive. Peters said New Zealanders should do everything they can to leave now, if they can find a safe route. 'We know it will not be safe for everyone to leave Iran or Israel, and many people may not have access to transport or fuel supplies,' he said. 'If you are in this situation, you should shelter in place, follow appropriate advice from local authorities and stay in touch with family and friends where possible.' Peters earlier said the number of New Zealanders registered in Iran had jumped since the escalation of the crisis. 'We thought, at a certain time, we had them all counted out at 46,' he said. 'It's far more closer to 80 now, because they're coming out of the woodwork, despite the fact that, for months, we said, 'look, this is a danger zone', and for a number of days we've said, 'get out if you possibly can'.' There were 101 New Zealanders registered in Israel. Again, Peters said the figure had risen recently. New Zealanders in Iran and Israel needing urgent consular assistance should call the Ministry's Emergency Consular Call Centre on +64 99 20 20 20. How are New Zealanders with ties to the region coping? Elham Salari, an Iranian in New Zealand told RNZ on Sunday she was deeply worried for her family members back home. 'I'm so scared. I'm so stressed… all I'm thinking is 'What's going to happen next?' Trump said he wants peace… but Iran's regime will not let it go easily. There will be a bigger war. It's going to destroy our country and our people are going to die.' Salari said she had woken up to messages from her family on Sunday who confirmed they were safe, but she had not been able to get back in contact with them since. Meanwhile, New Zealand Jewish Council spokesperson Ben Kepes said people should not conflate the actions of the Israeli government and the Israeli military with Jews worldwide. Iran has said multiple times that it does not believe Israel has a right to exist, he said. 'Most New Zealanders when they understand the issues would say that regardless of whether they support the actions of the Israeli government, that Israel has a right to exist as a sovereign nation.' Kepes said he was a Jew in New Zealand and did not hold an Israeli passport, nor vote for the government in Israel. 'I have zero control over Israel, so holding me responsible of the actions of the government is not only absurd, but it's a stereotype that is really dangerous.'
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Overseas Investment Decisions Twice As Fast
Associate Minister of Finance Associate Minister of Finance David Seymour is encouraged to see overseas investment decisions being made twice as fast following his Ministerial directive letter (the letter) to Land Information New Zealand (LINZ). 'Last year I issued a Ministerial directive letter setting out my expectations for faster consent processing timeframes under the Overseas Investment Act (the Act),' Mr Seymour says. 'The letter set my expectation that LINZ, the regulator for the Act, will process 80 per cent of consent applications in half the statutory timeframes for decisions. 'The financial year beginning 1 July 2024 is on track to meet my expectations. So far, LINZ has been processing 88 per cent of consent applications in half the statutory timeframe. 'Since this financial year began, processing times have reduced by 39 per cent faster than the previous financial year. The average timeframe has reduced from 71 working days in the last financial year, to 28 working days this financial year. 'The improvements to processing times are largely owed to the new risk-based approach LINZ take to verifying information and streamlining consent processes. This recognises that the majority of consent applications are low-risk and should be processed more efficiently. '1 July 2024 to 19 June 2025 saw 122 applications for overseas investment, decreasing from 146 in the financial year prior (both figures exclude 'only home to live in' applications). The decrease is explained by a significant drop in applications for residential land development due to poor property market conditions. I expect these numbers to bounce back with the rise of the property market. 'In order to have a strong growing economy New Zealand needs to be more welcoming to investment. Long waiting times for applications was creating uncertainty and impacting the attractiveness of investing in New Zealand. This affected New Zealand businesses that rely on overseas investment for capital or for liquidity. 'Since delegating most decision-making to LINZ and directing officials to focus on realising the benefits of overseas investment, there has been a significant improvement in processing times. 'Feedback from investors has been overwhelmingly positive, and they have welcomed the changes to make the application process more efficient, while still giving the right level of scrutiny to high-risk transactions. 'LINZ still has the full statutory timeframe to process 20 per cent of consent applications, which will allow them to manage complex and higher-risk applications. 'This week will see the first reading of thee Overseas Investment (National Interest Test and Other Matters) Amendment Bill as well. 'The Bill will consolidate and simplify the screening process for less sensitive assets, introducing a modified national interest test that will enable the regulator to triage low-risk transactions, replacing the existing benefit to New Zealand test and investor test. If a national interest risk is identified, the regulator and relevant Minister will have a range of tools to manage this, including through imposing conditions or blocking the transaction. The current screening requirements will stay in place for investments in farmland and fishing quota. 'New Zealand has been turning away opportunities for growth for too long. Having one of the most restrictive overseas investment regimes in the OECD means we've paid the price in lost opportunities, lower productivity, and stagnant wages. This Bill is about reversing that. 'For all investments aside from residential land, farmland and fishing quota, decisions must be made in 15 days, unless the application could be contrary to New Zealand's national interest. In contrast, the current timeframe in the Regulations for the benefit test is 70 days, and the average time taken for decisions to be made is 30 days for this test,' says Mr Seymour. 'International investment is critical to ensuring economic growth. It provides access to capital and technology that grows New Zealand businesses, enhances productivity, and supports high paying jobs.
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US-Iran Conflict ‘Extremely Worrying', NZ Backs Diplomacy
Article – RNZ Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says more military action isn't the answer to deal with Middle East conflict. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand wants to see a peaceful stable and secure Middle East, but more military action isn't the answer . The United Nations Security Council was meeting in emergency session on Monday (NZ time) on the US on three key nuclear facilities at the weekend. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the US bombing marked a perilous turn in a region already reeling. Iran called on the 15-member body to condemn what it called a 'blatant and unlawful act of aggression', Reuters reported. Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters says the government wants to know all the facts before taking a position on the US strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. Luxon told Morning Report the way to get to a stable region was a political solution rather than military action. 'It's actually through dialogue and diplomacy.' As a small country that was thousands of miles away from the conflict all New Zealand could do was to advocate for what it thought should happen, he said. 'What we don't need is more military action, we need a political solution to all of these issues in the Middle East.' Luxon said New Zealand was not given advance notice about the US strikes on Iran which were 'obviously pretty surgical in targeting those nuclear assets'. There was a lot of conjecture about how close Iran's programme had been to breaching 60 percent uranium enrichment, a precursor to nuclear arms, Luxon said. 'But that's all to be revealed in due course. What I'd say for right now is what we can do is we an urge those parties to get into a pattern of dialogue and diplomacy as difficult as that may well be'. Peters told Morning Report he was looking for evidence on the level of Iran's nuclear preparedness. 'I'm looking for the evidence to do with the nuclear enrichment programme that was way outside the negotiated position they've been taking all this time. 'That is, they've been marvellously good at negotiating their way out of things and the question is have they kept to their commitments, have they breached their international obligations. Let's find that out before we rush to judgement.' A Defence Force C-130J Hercules is leaving for the Middle East on Monday to help any New Zealanders stranded in Iran or Israel. Peters reiterated New Zealanders should do everything they can to leave now if they could find a safe route. He said the crisis could get far worse. 'We just don't know, and if we don't know you've got to take the greatest precaution you possibly can.' On Sunday, Peters said ongoing military action in the Middle East was 'extremely worrying'. It was critical escalation was avoided, and New Zealand strongly support efforts towards diplomacy and urged all parties to return to talks, 'Iran's nuclear activities have long worried New Zealand. We want Iran to comply with its international obligations. Our concern is that further military action is not going to deliver a sustainable solution to this problem.' Labour's defence spokesperson Peeni Henare backed Peters' calls for a return to talks, but said the government should acknowledge the US breached international law and be 'perhaps a bit stronger' in the first instance. Henare said Trump's statements had made it 'quite clear' what had happened. 'Countries can't call for peace and de-escalation, only to take the action that's been taken.' Waikato University law professor Alexander Gillespie said the airstrikes were 'clearly' illegal in terms of international law. 'There's nowhere in the UN charter that says you can bomb someone who won't negotiate with you. But whether you get to a point where that is actually condemned is going to be very different,' he said. 'There's the theory of international law, with the UN Charter, and then there's the reality of international politics at the moment, which means that America will not be condemned internationally by the Security Council or even through the International Court of Justice.' The prime minister is heading to NATO this week. New Zealand is not a member, but in recent years has been invited as a partner along with fellow Indo-Pacific Four nations Australia, Japan and South Korea. While Christopher Luxon would be 'on the margins,' Gillespie expected he would be watching closely to see what like-minded partners were saying. 'This is an act which is not self-defence, and even if you argued it was pre-emptive self-defence, it wasn't necessary because there were other options of diplomacy still open. It will create difficulties if we speak out and say that, I don't think we're in a position to do that right now, for fear of the reaction that you get from America.' Australia's government has already issued a statement on the airstrikes. 'We have been clear that Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program has been a threat to international peace and security,' the statement said. 'We note the US president's statement that now is the time for peace. The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy.' Defence Force plane leaves today The government is sending a C-130J Hercules plane to the Middle East, along with Defence Force and Foreign Affairs personnel, to assist New Zealanders stranded in Iran and Israel. Defence minister Judith Collins said the plane was a contingency, and would not be able to aid in evacuation flights until airspace restrictions in the region eased. In the meantime, those who were able to leave via a safe route were urged to do so. Peters said the flights would get people to a safe place. 'We're not bringing them home. We're getting them to where they can make arrangements to get home.' The government has been warning New Zealanders in the region to leave for a long time, Peters said. The number of New Zealanders registered as being in Iran or Israel had increased in recent days. The decision to send the Hercules was made even before knowledge of the airstrikes had come through. 'Our anxiety was enunciated and formulated into policy, warnings, and collections of views months ago. We've been saying it, and it's a sad circumstance here, but we said 'look this is very dangerous, get out,'' Peters said. Citing security reasons, Collins would not say where the plane and personnel would be based. Both Henare and Gillespie supported the move. 'I think if we're ready and on standby, at the very least, to make sure we can respond to our citizens and their needs, and also those of our diplomatic staff, I think that's a really smart move,' Henare said. Gillespie said sending a plane was prudent in case the situation worsened quickly, and the damage became more indiscriminate.
